• Photo Showcase: Nebraska vs. Kansas State

• Box Score: Nebraska vs. Kansas State

• Video: Postgame press conference from the Nebraska-Kansas State game:



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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nebraska’s shots were clanking off the rim at a frustrating rate Friday afternoon, yet the undefeated Huskers still were in total control.

A havoc-causing NU defense was the primary reason for that.

Kansas State, normally sure-handed and poised with the basketball, turned it over a season-high 23 times, spoiling a chance at an upset on a day when No. 3 Nebraska was far from its seemingly invincible self.

It took a while — maybe longer than expected because of NU’s inability to score consistently — but the top-seeded Huskers (30-0) eventually pulled away from K-State for a convincing 63-46 win at the Municipal Auditorium. The victory is Nebraska’s first in the Big 12 tournament since 2005.

In the semifinals for the first time in 10 years, the Huskers will play No. 4 seed Texas A&M at noon Saturday.

“Obviously, this wasn’t our best offensive game,” NU coach Connie Yori said, “but there are three facets to the game and I thought our defense was good and the second half, we did a good job of rebounding.”

Nebraska outrebounded K-State (14-18) by eight and allowed just 20 total points after taking a 27-26 lead into halftime.

Senior Kelsey Griffin delivered the knockout punch on the other end, scoring 12 of her team’s 14 points during one stretch midway through the half. Her layup with 11:33 left gave NU a 47-38 lead and forced a Kansas State timeout.

“Kelsey can dominate a game,” Yori said. “When you have a variety of ways you can score, you have the capability of taking over the game like she did during that section.”

K-State doesn’t need to be reminded.

A week ago, Griffin scored a career-high 36 points and helped the Huskers overcome just their second halftime deficit of the season. They beat the Wildcats 82-72 Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.

The Big 12 tournament rematch was tightly contested too, but the over-matched Wildcats never seemed quite capable of a momentum-shifting spurt.

Just a day after beating No. 8 seed Texas Tech 59-51, Kansas State hung around against the Huskers, until they made their push. That’s when the depleted K-State team ran out of gas.

After Taelor Karr’s basket cut Nebraska’s lead to 49-40 at the 10:41 mark, the Wildcats went more than eight minutes without another field goal. They finished the game with six active players once senior Kari Kincaid left with an apparent knee injury.

The Huskers scored the game’s next 11 points from there, an offensive spurt highlighted by Cory Montgomery’s 3-pointer from the wing — Nebraska had missed its first 18 attempts from long range before that.

“We knew we weren’t hitting, so we had to go to the offensive glass and get the rebounds and get the extra possessions because our shots weren’t going down,” Montgomery said. “We knew we had to tighten up everywhere else.”

NU started strong, scoring on its first four possessions and taking a quick 7-4 lead. But Nebraska turned the ball over five of the next six times down the floor.

Kansas State was just as sloppy, filling its offensive possessions with uncharacteristic errors.

The Wildcats stayed close, but coach Deb Patterson knew that it was only a matter of time before they’d be forced to respond to a Nebraska run.

“The magnitude of any make by Nebraska in the second half is just really intensified when we’re not making conversions on the offensive end,” Patterson said.

“It seemed like any basket they made was just so huge.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

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